Much of the recent sewer flooding which Thames Water has seen is due to the sheer amount of rainfall which fell during the later months of 2012. The water table is now at such a high level that any run-off after subsequent rainfall is making its way to a sewer system which is only designed to cope with waste sewage. Hence the problems many residents across the Thames Valley have faced with sewer flooding – there is simply not the capacity to take the rainwater away as well as the raw sewage.
However, even though Thames Water can do little to resolve the current issues without long-term investment, residents can help the water company by carefully considering what can and what can’t be disposed of in the region’s drains.
Thames Water spends hundreds of thousands of pounds every year removing blockages from the sewer system. And in many of these cases the blockage which has caused the problem is due to an item which should never have been disposed of in the sewage system in the first place.
Things which shouldn’t be flushed into the sewer system include:
• Sanitary wear
• Nappies
• Cotton buds
• Liquid fat
• Kitchen paper
• Hand wipes, face wipes, baby wipes
• Condoms
• Tooth floss
• Food
• Hair